Brassieres are common articles of clothing for women and generally comprise two cups, two shoulder straps, two back straps, and a latching mechanism provided either on the back straps or on the front of the brassiere, between the cups at the intercup bridge. Over the years, the construction of brassieres has developed to conform to fashion and to provide functional benefits to wearers. In particular, the cups of brassieres may be constructed with padding or may be shaped to conform to the contours of the body, thereby providing comfort, support, and/or a pleasing appearance. One known brassiere construction, commonly referred to as a T-shirt brassiere, utilizes a foam lining to provide support and shaping of the bust while also ensuring a smooth appearance of garments worn over the brassiere.
Due to their delicate material and construction, brassieres require special attention and care during cleaning, to ensure that the shape of the cups is not distorted and to prevent the formation of creases or indentations in the cup material. In particular, special attention and care must be exercised during the washing and drying of brassieres to ensure that the cups retain their desired shape during drying. When storing or transporting brassieres, such as during travel, it is important to ensure that the material is not damaged and that the cups are not crushed or otherwise distorted. These concerns are even more acute with respect to T-shirt brassieres.
Devices such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,291 to Moskovitz et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,683 to Phan have been previously proposed for washing and storing brassieres. Such devices are often bulky, inconvenient for travel, and utilize excessive space in drawers or lingerie chests. These previous devices also do not adequately facilitate efficient drying of brassieres after laundering while preventing the formation of undesirable indentations or creases in foam or other delicate material used in brassieres. A need therefore exists for a device which can protect brassieres during drying, storage and transportation and which overcomes drawbacks of the prior art, such as those described above.